Page Two
by gingerbluez
Summary: The Doctor and Clara Oswald embark on an adventure amongst the stars in search of page two of Clara's blue journal. I'm not sure where this will go, but I thought it was worth a shot!
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, so this will be my first **_**proper **_**story that I've ever written on fan fictions, and naturally it has to be Doctor who.  
It's 11th Doctor x Clara and starts at the final scene in the Tardis in the episode 'The bells of Saint John'. I haven't got a clue where this will lead, if it's dreadful I'm sorry, but please no flames.  
Constructive criticism is welcome!**

Page two

Clara hop-skipped around the Tardis console, only pausing when she came across the scanner before resuming her previous actions. It was strange. She felt so welcome here, yet she didn't know why. And then there was him. The Doctor. It was as if she already knew him, but how could that be possible?

The Doctor just stood there. She amazed him. She was funny, witty and almost as clever as he was. But most of all she was kind, caring and, seemingly, open to new ideas and ways of life. "What's this?" The Doctor held up a small, blue notebook, opened it and flicked to the first page. It had scrawled handwriting on it, which he assumed was hers from when she was younger. It seemed to be a list of ages, all crossed out until it reached '24' at the bottom of the page; _she must be 24._ The Doctor pondered this for a moment, but his thoughts were interrupted when the book was snatched from his hand. "Hey! That's mine, give it back!" Clara hugged it close to her chest. She picked up the leaf carefully and twirled it back and forth in her fingers by the stem.

"What's the red leaf for?" asked the Doctor. He pointed awkwardly over the cover of the book and then clenched his fists again.  
"That? That's page one." Clara raised her eyebrows in surprise, and then gave a cheeky grin. She skipped out of the vast interior of the Tardis; she gazed around at the blue lights at the top of console and the strange circles of language above that. "Where are you going?" The Doctor called after her.

"What do you mean 'where are you going?'" Clara imitated his high pitch tone, to which the Doctor blushed.

"Well, I-I mean, um, do you want to come with me?"  
"Come back tomorrow, ask again."  
"What?"  
"Is seven alright?"  
"Um, yes, I suppose?"  
"Great! See ya then!" Clara waved, pulled her jacket tighter around her and left, without another word.

However, the Doctor still carried on staring after her, his gaze never leaving her until she entered her house;_ is that her house? It doesn't matter. Clara Oswin Oswald; the woman twice dead. Who are you exactly? _He soon set off around his ship pulling leavers and pressing buttons. There was a low hum of machinery and technology emitting from the Tardis and soon the Doctor was launched backwards into the seat that seemed to balance of the railings.

Clara turned around at the sound of the Tardis departing from the suburban street. She longed to know who that strange and mysterious man was; _Doctor. Doctor who? _ She dismissed this thought with a shrug of her shoulders then looked up at the blue, but cloud-covered sky as if she was trying to see where he had gone.  
That evening she settled down with a cup of tea. She kept gazing out of the window to see if her mysterious doctor had returned. No. Maybe he would wait until tomorrow.

The Doctor had started to become bored. He had already re-wired his sonic screwdriver twice for no particular reason, sat reading a book in the library, sat reading a book _upside-down_ in the library and cleaned the Tardis top-to-bottom, all in less than two hours. Then he decided that he could just go forward in time to tomorrow; _Genius! If only I'd thought of this two hours ago._

XXXXXXXXXXX

****Clara woke up to the peaceful sound of birds tweeting, horse's hooves echoing down the street and… _What is that noise?_ She rose from her bed, placed her slippers on her feet and stood up. Pause. She shivered, stretched and then wiped the sleep from her eyes before getting her dressing gown and then headed outside to investigate. As she stepped outside, she was met with the doctor, who, by the looks of things, was just about to knock of her door.  
"That's what I like about you Clara, always the curious one!" The Doctor beamed.  
"How long has it been since you last saw me?"  
"About…" He looked down at the underside of his wrist."…two hours, three minutes and… seventeen seconds!"  
Clara sighed. She knew he would do this, he was so impatient. She opened her mouth, as if she was about to ask something, but then pushed the question from her mind. The Doctor looked at her, ready to answer any question put toward him. "Do you want to come in? I just boiled the kettle, so…"  
"That would be lovely, Clara. Um, are you sure you don't mind?"  
"Course I don't mind! Don't be so daft." She said. She smiled at him welcomingly, and started to head inside with the Doctor not far behind.

When they were back in the house, Clara made her way to the kitchen.  
"Do you want tea or coffee?" The doctor strolled into the living room, nearly tripping over the coffee table in the process._ Domestic life, I'll never get used to it._ He let out a small cry before answering her question; "tea please, if you don't mind!" He almost whimpered. He limped a little bit after having told off the offending item and headed to the kitchen. Clara handed the Doctor his tea which he took gratefully. He waited for Clara to get her coffee and they went and sat in the living room.

The Doctor seated himself on a maroon armchair and had a sip of his tea. He savoured the warmth of his drink; spring hadn't quite arrived yet and a coat of fog still loomed over the busy streets of London. Clara sat down on the sofa, curling her legs up onto it. She tucked her hair behind her ear and held her mug in both hands. Hundreds of questions whizzed through her head all at once and she couldn't help but ask them.  
"So, who _are_ you exactly and what do you do?"

"I'm the Doctor, I have two hearts, I live in a time machine and I'm over nine-hundred years old."  
Everything but the ticking of the wall clock was silent. The Doctor sniffed and flicked his floppy fringe out of his face.  
"Oh, and I travel in time." He said with a smug smile. Clara giggled, causing her to choke on her coffee.  
"I'm fine, don't worry about me!" She choked between splutters and coughs. The Doctor was by her side in an instant, chuckling at her sarcastic remark. He patted her back until she had composed herself, and then asked;

"So, do you want to come with me?"  
"Too?"  
" Well, ya know, see the stars, add some more to that book of yours, eh?" He was secretly hoping she would say yes; that she _would _want to see the universe with him. Clara tilted her head slightly in mock thought. "Yeah, why not?" They both laughed, finished their drinks and the Doctor headed back to the Tardis to power it up for their adventures together.

"Give me five minutes! I need to pack a bag!" She shouted from her bedroom window.  
Meanwhile, the Doctor had taken a spare Tardis key from his jacket pocket and turned it round in his palm whilst he waited. Clara entered not long after with a dark red suitcase trundling behind her. "Write where are we going first?" The excitement in her voice shone through, but her smile soon faded when she noticed the Doctor was holding something in his closed hand.  
"What's that?"

"This? This is me, giving in…" _again_ he thought to himself. "It's a Tardis key." Clara just stared on in amazement; _this seems very familiar. _  
"Yeah, I can see that… But why me?"  
"I don't know, there's just something about you that, well, that, I suppose, I like." He smiled shyly whilst blushing slightly. "And, if you want, the next trip can be yours to choose. All of time and space, and any bit of it can be, well, page two."  
"Sounds good that does, let's go!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Right then, second chapter, here I come! Again, it's 11****th**** Doctor x Clara, and is set before 'The rings of Akhaten'. I plan on making more than 2 chapters (I think, not so sure yet!) so, like last time, enjoy! :)**

The adventure begins

"So! Where do you want to go?" The Doctor's wide grin didn't show the full extent of his delight and happiness.  
"I dunno! It's not like a trip to the seaside, when you know what the day's gonna be like straight away!" Clara stared at the Doctor in amusement. She was aware of the Doctor's age, and yet he looked like a boy on Christmas day;_ he always does have an air of excitement and wonder about him._ The Doctor sighed and paced around the Tardis console, racking his brain for a solution to Clara's lack of imagination. "Hmm, um, ooh! I know!" He exclaimed in a pitch higher than his usual voice. "Ok, I'm gonna give you some options…" _Great! A quiz. I swear this wasn't in the deal, _Clara thought to herself.

"Earth or Space?"  
"Space!"  
"Forward or backward in time?"  
"Hmm…" Clara looked at the floor in contemplation. When she next looked up, her eyes were met with the Doctors Hazel orbs. She could see all the sorrow and loss, the joy and love. She could see deep into his soul, and visa-versa.  
The doctor saw only kindness, hope and love in her eyes and after seeing these emotions, he turned his gaze to look at his worn boots. "Well, what's the catch with time travel?"  
"If we travel back in time, you could tweak the slightest of things and change the human race. However, if we travel into the future, nothing has been…" The Doctor paused, trying to find the right words. "…'set in stone', so to speak."  
"Forward it is then!"  
"Anywhere in particular?"  
"Nah! Just somewhere different."

The doctor set to work jabbing an array of coloured buttons and pulling leavers. "How do you know what to press and what to control? Does the Tardis come with an instruction manual or somethin'?" Clara had suddenly appeared directly behind the Doctor, causing him to jump and shudder slightly; _I wish she wouldn't do that! _ Clara just giggled and rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder, peering over it as he steered the Tardis. "No, not any more it doesn't."  
"How come?" The Doctor gazed at her, taking in all of her facial expressions as if trying to make an impression of them in his memory. He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, then continued; "I didn't agree with it, so I threw it into a supernova." They both stopped what they were doing, thought about what he had just said and then burst into a fit of laughs. Once the Doctor had set the coordinates on the Tardis, they just sat down and chatted about anything they could think of.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The Tardis came to a halt part way through their conversation. The Doctor leaped up from the cold metal steps where they had been sat talking and pulled Clara up afterwards. She tilted her head; "Have we landed?"  
"I believe so! Are you ready to face the unknown?" The Doctor raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Of course! Page two here we come!" She ran down the ramp to the Tardis doors and placed her hand on the metallic silver handle. Her heart skipped a beat when the Doctor placed his hand carefully around her smaller, delicate hand as it gripped the door handle. She let out a breath to calm her nerves and stepped outside onto the alien world that awaited her.

She gasped. What Clara saw before her she couldn't believe, so much so that she blinked hard twice and pinched herself, then turned to face the Doctor. He squinted up at the lilac sky; the sunset orange clouds swirled around each other in the sky to a waltz of birdsong, which resonated around the vast landscape of the planet. He whizzed back inside theTardis to fetch a pen and some paper and returned as quickly as he had left. "Clara, if we get separated, but hopefully we won't…" He scrawled something on the piece of paper with the marker pen; "…here's my number."  
Clara blushed slightly, but then a thought occurred to her. "Wait a minute, _you_ have a _mobile phone_?" The Doctor crossed his arms, frowned and pouted in mock upset. "Of course I have a mobile phone… Well sort of, it's more of an alien-y, scroll-y device thingamajig, but all the same!" He held up a gadget that was similar in size to and iPhone; it was curved like a bridge and had what appeared to be buttons, if very basic, but Clara assumed it was more complex than it looked. Its screen was black and shiny and the outer casing for it was the same florescent green as the light that was emitted from the Doctors sonic screwdriver.

The Doctor held his hand out for Clara, which she gladly took, and they entwined their fingers together. Clara stuffed her other hand in her jeans pocket and fondled the Tardis key that the Doctor had given to her. His thumb stroked the back of her hand subconsciously; it took until Clara looked down at their clasped hands for the Doctor to realise, and he drew his hand away, clenching it in to a fist anxiously before apologising profusely. Clara just grabbed his hand again. "It's fine, I don't mind." She smiled warmly at him; she didn't want him to let go of her hand, she felt safer, less alone. It was stupid how childlike she could be sometimes.

With each step they took, a scent of lemons and limes rose up from the grass. "Where's that smell coming from? What is it? It's nice… Refreshing."  
"That?" The Doctor knelt down and pinched a piece of grass, plucking it out of the ground. "Wow! That's cool… It's citrus grass! The people of this planet use it for cooking and such; it's a delicacy around here." As if on cue, the distant sound of a bustling market place came into earshot. "Market day?" Clara questioned, rather nonplussed, as if it was normal for an alien civilisation. "It appears so!" The doctor confirmed her question, then looked her in the eye and asked; "Wanna check it out?" The Doctor offered Clara his arm and she linked her own through it. "Let's go, chin boy!" She added on afterwards, to which the Doctor rolled his eyes in mock agitation and then grinned.

As they entered the market square, the sound of children laughing and running around was welcoming after having been stuck on a street that was mainly inhabited by elderly people. Life was much livelier here; just being with the Doctor was an adventure, never mind the crazy journeys they went on together. As she looked around, most of the people on this planet were humanoid, but brightly coloured; some were red, some blue, some green and some, but not many, had paler skin, similar to hers and the Doctor's , but with tints of pastel colours; some were a soft pink or cream and others were a light grey. The aliens with paler skin had peculiar markings on their skin; perhaps tribal markings? It didn't matter. The Doctor and herself weren't being stared at, surprisingly because something else had grabbed their attention; a newly opened stall? A band? No, she couldn't hear any music.

She was suddenly pulled back behind a small tower of wooden crates. Clara started to panic, but the Doctor was there to calm her down and re-assure her. He held her close to make sure they wouldn't be seen, and cautiously peered out from behind the crates. He could see people rushing around in a mad panic and parents claiming their children from the centre of the square as two wait, three, and four! Four tall, shadowy figures in what appeared to be a hooded cloak stomping down the middle of the small village. What were they? What did they want? Why were they even here? A dozen questions ripped through the recesses of his mind and to the front of his head.

"Doctor, what are those…creatures?"  
"I don't know, Clara." He whispered softly.  
"What do we do, those people are scared out of their wits!" Hands seized their shoulders and they struggled to get out of their grasp. It was no use. A deep, crackly voice spoke with an air of authority; "YOU HAVE BROCKEN LAW 3075-681. YOU WILL COME WITH US OR FACE PENALTY OF DEATH."


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay! Okay! I know I haven't updated for a while, and I'm very sorry. So, hopefully this'll be a gooden. Anyway, on with the story! (Oh, and thanks sooooo much to those that have followed my story, I really appreciate your support!)**

An issue occurs

The Doctor and Clara were being dragged down the streets of the alien market place. There were aliens all around them whispering about law 3075-681, pointing and then turning to their friends or family members. The questions that were whizzing through both the Doctor's and Clara's thoughts were _what is law 3075-681? How can we break a law if we don't know what it is?_ The duo were snapped out of their reveries as they looked up, almost in sync with each other, at the large metallic doors of what they assumed was a police station, maybe even a jail or prison?

When they neared the building, the shadowy police halted. There was a buzzing of electricity coming from the dusty red path; the Doctor was curious at the unusual colour of the ground and whipped out his sonic screwdriver. Soon afterwards, it was suddenly snatched from his grasp and crushed in the fist of one of the cloaked figures. The Doctor opened and closed his mouth in protest, but to no effect. Four holographic walls rose up from the ground, closing in the police and the 'offenders'.

Clara went to grab the Doctor's hand, but his met hers first, giving her Clammy palm a reassuring squeeze as if to say_ it's ok, I'm here, you're safe ,I've got you._ If he was completely honest, he was quite scared too. A bright light passed over their bodies, and Clara felt a sharp edge slice her finger. She peered down at her left hand to see a small, thin blade taking a sample of her skin. The Doctor looked up at the police. "What was that for?!" No reply. He went to continue, only to be stopped mid-sentence by the same action.

Once he had recovered, he continued. "Well? What. Was. That. For!"  
"ANSWER NON APPLICABLE."  
"ANSWER ME!" The Doctor was fuming now, teeth clenched, hands tense. Clara winced at the sudden feeling of cramp. "FOR GENETIC ANALYSIS." The shadowed figure stated, tilting his head. A robotic voice sounded over the whirring of the electrical fence. "Sample 429. Name: Clara Oswald. Age: 24. Home Planet: Earth, Galaxy 137."  
"How does it know that stuff?"  
"It's your DNA sample, in this time and age, they can find out anything they wanted, or needed, all from that one sample." Said the Doctor, with a tone of dread and amazement. The robotic voice, seemingly female, spoke once again. "Sample 430. Name: Unknown. Age: 909. Home Planet: Gallifrey, Galaxy 583."

Once there profile had been stated, two of the shadow aliens grabbed Clara and the Doctor, one on each, while the remaining two rolled up their prisoner's sleeves and branded their arms. Clara screamed and the Doctor had to bight his lip to stop himself from shouting out. _I have to be brave for Clara._ They were lead inside the vast building down countless corridors that seemed to swirl and loom over them as the dawdled past. The Doctors head was bowed down to the floor and Clara was rubbing her left arm.

They rounded a corner. Clara's eyes darted around in panic as they approached some particularly grimy jail cells. "What have we done to deserve this? I get that we 'disobeyed' the law, but HOW?"  
"YOU IGNORED LAW 3075-681."  
"IGNORED it?! How can we ignore a law we weren't even aware of?" No answer. A bleep, whirr and a buzz and the shadow spoke again. "I DO NOT UNDESTAND." Clara spoke next; "Ok then, what is Law 3075-681?"  
"LAW 3075-681: THEFT OF CROPS; KILLING STAPLE FOOD OF THIS PLANET'S INHABITANTS." The Doctor looked perplexed for a moment, but then it dawned on him. "All of this over a piece of grass?!" The Doctor furrowed his brow as he spoke, but was interrupted by arms grabbing his shoulders and throwing him into the cell, along with Clara. The Doctor tripped and wacked his head on one of the filthy walls. "That was TOTALLY UNESSISSARY!" Clara cried, as she scuttled over to the now quite badly injured Time Lord. She took a hanky from her satchel, folded it into a square and pressed it to the deep cut on his forehead. "What do you mean 'over a piece of grass'?" The Doctor peered at her chocolate brown orbs and sighed. "The citrus grass I snapped off the ground, that was breaking the law… I should've known!" The Doctor snarled through gritted teeth and he slammed his hands on the cold stone floor. He slumped his head. For once, he was hopeless. _They _were hopeless. Clara didn't know what to do. She just remained silent, stroked the Doctor's floppy hair off his now blood-covered forehead and placed a chaste kiss to his check, like he had done to her so many times before. What else could she do?


	4. Chapter 4

**Again, I'm so sooooo sorry for not updating my story sooner, but my laptop (for some reason I'm not sure of) wouldn't let me on the internet, so I've been reading fanfictions on my 3DS! The previous chapters weren't as good as the others, and I apologise for that. Hopefully this one will be a bit better. Right then, better get cracking!**

The (not-so-great) escape.

The Doctor was playing noughts and crosses with himself for the 23rd time in half an hour, (Clara had become bored long ago), and was losing to himself, _again._ It amazed Clara how he could be so easily amused.

Meanwhile, Clara had been trying and failing to think of a way out. She had paced back and forth for at least two hours with intervals of plonking down on the small, worn bench and sighing, then repeating the sequence. The Doctor had drifted into a somewhat feverish sleep, and it took him talking in his sleep to bring her out of her reverie. He was speaking in a soft tone, barley a whisper, mumbling incoherently. She rose quietly from the bench. Walking over to the sleeping form that was her best friend, she tried to figure out what he was saying. Clara knelt down beside him and paused to study his face. He was tense. His arms were crossed and his fists clenched whilst furrowing his brow excessively.

Clara placed her hand gently on the Doctor's head and stroked her thumb over his forehead to his hairline, trying to calm him down. His eyes suddenly snapped open, darting around, like bright hazel searchlights. "Hey, shhh, calm down, it's okay, it's me! It's me." She repeated for reassurance. He placed his hand over hers, as if to check she was real. He sighed in relief. "Nightmares?" Clara questioned, to which he nodded. He wiped a hand over his face and blood came off on it. "Ah! Forgot that had happened, ummm…" Pause. "Do you have a tissue in that bag of yours?" Clara rummaged around in her bag and pulled out a tissue and a bottle of water. She unscrewed the lid of the bottle and dabbed the tissue against it, removing the blood-stained hanky from his forehead and pressing it to the cut.

"What are those?!" She pointed to his cut and raised eyebrow. "Those? Those are nanogenes. An element of Timelord DNA which heals wounds, or can change a whole body if need be." Clara half-heartedly nodded, staring in awe at the firefly-like specks.

She continued to press the tissues to his head and the Doctor winced. "I have painkillers. Would they help?"  
"What kind of painkillers?" Clara rummaged in her satchel, her brown hair falling around her face, framing it perfectly, or so the Doctor thought. She pulled out an array of tablets. "I've got some Ibuprofen and some kind of alien painkiller… Not sure what they are but…" She frowned, squinting to see the text on the label; there wasn't much light to go by, making it difficult to read it. "Why would you have _alien_ pain killers?"  
"In case you got hurt or sick on a journey?" The Doctor smiled at the kind thought before opening the small, orange jar and placing a couple in the palm of his hand. He tipped them into his mouth, grimaced, and took a swig of water.  
"Bleh! They're horrid. Tablets are evil. Nasty tablets."  
"Not if they help you get better, they're not. Don't be such a wimp." The Doctor pouted, huffed, but then smiled gratefully at his impossible girl.

"So, have we got a plan?"  
"Not yet, no. You?" Clara asked.  
"Nope." The Doctor replied, popping the 'p', which gained a small chuckle from Clara. There was a small silence, and if you had been there, you would have been able to feel the brainwaves of the time travellers passing through the cold, stone-walled cell. There was a sharp 'CA-CLINK' that interrupted their thoughts followed by a "Pssst!" The Doctor snapped his head in the direction the sound came from, only to have his nose pinched by an invisible hand. "Hello? Who's there?" He whispered in a nasally voice whilst cradling his nose. "Pssst!"  
"What – or who – is that?"  
"It's me! Hello!" Gloves took themselves off tiny hands, which Clara soon noticed were violet, and removed what seemed to be a rather oversized hood. Underneath the – invisibility cloak? – was a young girl, no more than eight. "And who might you be then?" Clara asked, crouching down to the small aliens' height. "I'm Lilly-May Foxglove! I've come to help you!" The Doctor raised his eyebrows, his hazel eyes glinting with kindness. He shifted from his slumped position to his knees, shoulder-to-shoulder with Clara and gripped the cell bar for support.

"How did you know we were here?" Queried the Doctor, with a smile of disbelief plastered on his face. "My camera-phone-watch-thingy gives me the latest information on the news. Your arrest was broadcast on it this morning and if I don't get you out, they'll kill you! I don't want that to happen, especially not to you!" The Girl said in a flustered panic. Clara looked dumbfounded. "But, we don't even know you, how do you know us? We're not even from this planet…"  
"No time, we have to go! I'll explain later!" Lilly said, shaking her head.

Her bright yellow eyes followed the Doctor and Clara as they stood up. "Here. You need these." Lilly Handed over two unidentifiable objects. Clara looked down at her small hands and noticed by the way her hand was distorted – as if it were under water – that she was holding to more cloaks. She took them off her, thanking her with a kind smile, and placing it around her shoulders.

Being careful not to disturb the holographic guard, Lilly put on a glove covered in shards of mirror. She reached up for the rusted key which was encased in a laser-covered cage. She removed it from its resting place and unlocked the heavy, steal door, releasing the pair that had been prisoners in it. The Doctor placed the cloak around his body, trying to avoid the hood brushing against the gash on his forehead. "How come he – she – _it_ – can't hear us?"  
"Holographs haven't been developed to hear things yet. Scientists all over the galaxy are still trying to do that. So, they use movement to see what's going on, which is why we need these." Lilly grasped a small section of her cloak. "Okay. So how come we can see you, but they can't?" Clara tilted her head toward the guards in time with her speech. "Don't you know?" Lilly exclaimed, as if it were obvious. "You can see me as long as you keep your cloak on. That's basic science!"  
"Not where I come from it isn't…" Clara said under her breath.

As the trio were making their way out of the dull prison, the Doctors' cloak snagged on and uneven brick, tugging it off his shoulders as he walked. He heard it drop to the floor. "Ha-ha, um, oops!" He laughed nervously. "Clara, Lilly, I can't see you!" The Doctor said, as he walked slower than he had been, wearily peering over his shoulder. He felt something grab his hand. He recognised it as Clara's, which was followed by another smaller palm pressing into his left hand. "Run?" Clara asked.  
"Run!"

The hologram turned its robotic head and red eyes emitted a beam of light that scanned the surroundings in a menacing manner; not quickly, but with a confidence that would scare anyone that came across it.

The Doctor, Clara and Lilly didn't stop running until they reached the market place where they then easily merged in with the crowd. Nevertheless, the Doctor still insisted on buying each of them a coloured cloak of their choice to where, just so they were hidden better. The Doctor bought a dark purple one, Clara picked a deep red one, and Lilly chose an orange one that matched the sunset almost perfectly.

The Doctor and Clara each grabbed one of Lilly's hands as they walked. The Doctor examined Lilly's face. _She seems so familiar, but how could I possibly know her? _She had chestnut-brown hair and small markings, like dots, above her eyes that replaced eyebrows. She also had markings on parts of her face and her hands; elegant swirls and the odd flower.

"So, where are your family then? I assume you live here." The Doctor asked.  
"I don't have a family. They died, long ago." The Doctor sensed she was getting upset, and his parental instinct kicked in. He let go of her hand and picked her up, carrying her against his side, wiping away a small tear that trickled down her face. "I understand your pain and sadness. My family died too, a very, very long time ago." He became distant, but soon stopped dwelling on his past when she began talking again. "I was just a baby when it happened. I can't really remember it; it's all foggy in my head." She paused, as if trying to remember. "There was a spaceship. A fire started, and my parents gave me to… To a mysterious man that heard our shouting and screaming. And… He… I think… They told him to run, that he couldn't save them. He argued, but did as they asked in the end…"  
"Me…" A look of realisation appeared on his face. "Doctor, what's wrong?"  
"It was me. I took you from the fire, to safety… That was you!? All those, well, months for me, years for you, ago. I worried so much. I took you to and orphanage. I knew you wouldn't be safe with me, and at such a young age… I didn't know what to do. You're safe, you really are safe!" He placed a kiss on her head and hugged her closer, suddenly feeling like he had found a long lost family member.

"People told stories. About you. The lone traveller, the Caretaker, the Lonely God, the Madman with a box. The man that keeps running and still does from something no-one knows about. Why?" The Doctor thought for a moment. "Because, Lilly, when we have something precious, we hold onto it and never let go and we keep on running until we are out from under its shadow. That's why."


	5. Chapter 5

**Oops! I keep forgetting to update… Please don't hate me? Anyway, this is my fifth and probably last chapter. I'm going to try and wrap it up, but if that doesn't work then I may have to write a sixth chapter! Thanks so much to all of my followers, however many or little that may be!**

Godparents and Goodbye (for now…)

The Doctor, Clara and Lily returned to the TARDIS after strolling casually through the still bustling market place. Of course, they had picked up a few souvenirs on the way; Lily had purchased an orange (that seemed to be her favourite colour) journal, the Doctor got a lime green bowtie, to which Clara had said "Doctor, that bowtie is awful. Are you really going to wear that thing, I can tolerate your others, but this!?" She had let out a puff of air after the Doctor had just plastered a stupid grin to his face in response. Clara however bought a more sensible item. She had spotted an ornate pocket mirror; it was metal and bronze in colour with a pretty green gemstone in the centre of the lid. It kind of reminded her of the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, which was partly why she bought it. It reminded her of him – her crazy, funny, impossibly clever and loving friend that had come to her front door barely two weeks ago and welcomed her into his home (or snog-box as she had said) with open arms.

The trio had walked in a comfortable silence, each of them thinking over the day's events.

"So, Doctor, what happens now?" The Doctor looked puzzled. "Could you elaborate more please Clara?" She paused to think, looking down at her hand clasping Lily's hand. Lily beamed up at her, and turned to face the Doctor with the same grin. "Well, I suppose I mean…" Clara sighed, and continued. "… What do we do about Lily? We can't just take her away with us in your spaceship." Lily's smile faded into a faint pout. "B-But I don't want to go back! Yeah it's nice there, and I'll miss it a little bit, but I would rather stay with you, Doctor. You're the closest I have to a family!" Lily smiled, alas sadly. Clara wiped away a stray tear and swept her up into her arms, a small violet and orange bundle with short legs poking out from underneath pink crop trousers. Lily's feet were encased in small pink trainers, which made Clara smile.

Once inside the TARDIS, Clara set down Lily on a chair attached to the railings that surrounded the console, whilst the Doctor set to work typing coordinates and pulling leavers. The TARDIS started to shake and a metallic hum of machinery resonated around the gleaming control room. Whilst the Doctor and Clara were talking in hushed voices to each other, Lily began to draw in her journal with the attached pen that came with the book. When she had finished her masterpiece, she slid off the relatively high chair (to her anyway) and skipped over to the time travellers.

"Do you have any pencil crayons?"  
"What for?" the Doctor questioned, gaining a small groan from Clara. "For colouring with?" Clara replied sarcastically. "Yeah, I know that, but what have you drawn, are you going to show us?" Lily grinned and turned her journal around. The picture she had drawn was a simple scene; typical for a child of her age to have thought of, in which was himself, Clara and Lily, all stood in front of the TARDIS against a sunset-orange sky. The Doctor smiled at it whilst Clara stared intently at his face, trying to decipher an emotion from his structured features. "So please could I borrow some colours?"  
"Of course you can, if I can find them!" He chuckled, earning a giggle from the small alien. The Doctor started searching for said crayons; he checked around the console, under the console, and jogged down the stairs that went to the core access point and searched on the compartment there too, all of which was done without success. "Doctor, have you checked your jacket pockets?" The Doctor's face lit up as he shook one side of his purple jacket when he heard the pencils rattle. He reached into his pockets and grabbed them out, presenting a small pack of pencils. "Doctor, what have I told you about keeping the contents of your desk in your jacket?" Clara said, raising one eyebrow. Lily just sniggered and took the set of colours, "Thank you!" then skipped off back to the chair.

The TARDIS soon came to a halt, so when Lily finished colouring, they exited the spaceship and walked up the dauntingly long path up to the orphanage.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again! To solve my 'I-keep-forgetting-to-update' situation, I decided to write this chapter as soon as I'd finished chapter five, so here goes! Last chapter of my first proper fanfiction! Wow. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed chapter five. Sorry if I rambled, but that's just one of my many fine writing qualities! Thanks you for being such loyal followers, and if you have any prompts for me, I will gladly give them a shot!**

Is this the end?

The three of them approached the door of the large building. The closer they got, the tighter Lily held their hands and the larger the lump became in the Doctor's throat. Clara stroked reassuring circles on the back of Lily's small hands which had grown cold and clammy.

The Doctor raised his fist to the mahogany door, intending to knock, but instead placed his hand on the brass handle. When the door slid open, it came as a surprise because the Doctor had tried to turn the handle. _Hmm, the handle must be a hand scanner. It was a manual door last time I came here. Never mind._ Lily rubbed her eyes. Assuming she was tired, Clara picked her up, making sure her orange cloak was wrapped around her tightly so she wouldn't get cold.

The Doctor stroked Lily's hair, and rang the bell at the main desk. An elderly woman, also alien, came out of the back room just off the office. "So _you're_ the hooligans that kidna—hang on, I recognise you… you're the man that…"  
"The man that brought Lily-May Foxglove to you." The Doctor continued the lady's sentence for her. "Yes…Yes I remember now… You said that you couldn't look after her, why couldn't you look after your own child?" The elderly woman exclaimed, addressing the couple. "She's our child, her parents died, but I didn't get the chance to tell you when I first brought her here. I rescued her from a spaceship that was burning up."  
"Yeah, the Doctor explained to me and Lily earlier what had happened. He brought her here to keep her safe. We're time travellers you see. He felt as though she wouldn't be safe with him, hence why he's here again, to return her."  
"Wait. Did you just say 'the Doctor'?" Clara was beginning to think she was a bit deaf. "Yes I did say that, why?" There was a sudden silence that hit the air as if the woman was trying to recall something.

"Doctor, when her mother was in hospital, just before she died I went to visit her, to tell her that her child was safe. She said that whoever saved her child, she wanted that person to be the Godparent of Lily, but when I got back here you were gone." The couple looked confused, before the Doctor started to laugh, out of disbelief so it seemed, then silence hit the room once more.

"Wait, are you serious? I-I mean, are you sure, like, properly sure?" The kind lady nodded her head. "Well then, why wait! Where are the papers?" The doctor exclaimed, rummaging in his pockets for a pen. The lady scuttled off to the back room and soon returned with a small pile of papers. The rustling of the papers seemed to wake the, unknowingly asleep, child in Clara's arms. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and asked, just as the Doctor had signed the papers, "What's going on? What are those?" The Doctor took Lily off Clara and explained. "It turns out that I'm your Godparent! It's what your mum wanted." Lily looked into the Doctor's glee-filled eyes, smiled sleepily and nodded. "That's nice; I'll have a family now!" She exclaimed and snuggled her face into the Doctor's shoulder and let his somewhat familiar scent lull her back to sleep.

"Clara, do you want to be her Godmother? Only if you want, it's just… She seemed to take to you really quickly, so I just thought, ya know…"  
"If I'm allowed?" Clara almost asked the question to the elderly woman, to which she nodded. "Well then, okay! I hardly know you, but you seem alright." Clara exclaimed, making both the Doctor and herself laugh. She signed the papers and handed the doctor back his pen. "Thank you very much ma'am! We'll be off now. Ooh, Clara could you possibly collect Lily's things from her room?" Clara smiled. "Yeah, sure. Um, where's her room?"  
"Go up the first staircase and it's the second one on your left." The woman replied chirpily.

Clara took the route she was told and entered Lily's room. It was simple, but had a few personal touches like photos and drawings pinned to the wall. She looked under her bed and pulled out an orange suitcase. She packed Lily's belongings; toothbrush, hairbrush, hair ties, clothes, toys, her favourite teddy and many other things. Clara carted the suitcase down the stairs and headed back to main reception where the Doctor and the now fast asleep Lily were waiting.

They strolled back to the TARDIS and were welcomed with the usual low humming sound. When Clara had placed the suitcase on the floor, she took Lily off the doctor, being careful not to wake her. The doctor programmed a room in the TARDIS for Lily, as well as for Clara who said she would be staying much more often now she was one of Lily's Godparents. After that had been done, they headed toward Lily's bedroom; it was getting late and it had been a very busy and confusing day for such a young child. Clara laid her down and tucked her in whilst the Doctor unpacked her things, her favourite teddy being the first thing that came out of the suitcase. He placed Lily's teddy gently under her arm, and just before they left, switched a bedside lamp on.

"Right then. Take me home chin boy. I need to get back to Angie and Artie." Clara said as they briskly walked down the corridor that lead to the console room.

The TARDIS landed outside the Maitland's house, emitting a vworping whirring noise that echoed through the empty street. "See ya next Wednesday then?" Clara grinned at the strange man in front of her that she felt like she'd known for years. "Yeah, see ya next Wednesday!" He beamed.

Clara went to leave the rickety old box, but turned on her heals. The Doctor frowned at her, tilted his head slightly to one side and ran a hand through his hair nervously. Clara walked up to him and slapped him, not hard, but enough to make him know about it. "THAT is for getting us ARRESTED and nearly KILLED!" The Doctor opened his mouth in shock placing a hand on his cheek and rubbing his now sore jaw. Then Clara hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the cheek where she had slapped him. "But this… this is for being there for me, and for being the bumbling, crazy and king person –or alien- that you are. So, thank you." She released him and turned to walk out again. The Doctor ran and grabbed her hand before she could leave.

"Wait!" He cleared his throat. "I have something for you." He rummaged in his trouser pocket and pulled out something small and silver. A TARDIS key. Clara was standing in the doorway of the TARDIS. _"I never know why, I only know who."  
"What's this?"  
"This is me, giving in…"  
"I don't know why I'm crying."  
"I do_._ Remember this, all of it, because this is the day… THIS. IS. THE. DAY. EVERYTHING BEGINS!"_

The Doctor was shaken out of his flashback when he felt the cold key leave his hand. "Thank you!" Clara looped the chain of her necklace through the hole in the key and clasped it around her neck again. "Right, I really have to go now, so I'll see you next Wednesday! Bye!" The Doctor smiled in a dazed manner. "Right, yeah, see ya!"

Clara closed the doors of the TARDIS behind her and distanced herself from disappearing blue box, thinking about what next Wednesday may bring.


End file.
